FEW MUSICALS transcend the stage and become part of cultural memory. Fewer still manage to feel urgent across generations.
In April the Yavapai College Performing Arts Department presents The Sound of Music, not merely as a nostalgic favorite, but as a living, breathing work of theatre that speaks directly to our moment.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s final collaboration has long been cherished for its soaring melodies and heartwarming story. “My Favorite Things.” “Do-Re-Mi.” “Edelweiss.” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.” The music alone is enough to fill a theatre.
But director Ben Naasz sees something deeper unfolding beneath the waltzes. “It just happens to be extremely relevant right now,” he says. “Our job as artists isn’t to tell people what to think, it’s to make them think.”
At its core The Sound of Music tells the story of Maria, spirited, uncontainable, full of song, entering a household that has silenced itself. Captain von Trapp, grieving the loss of his wife, has banned music from is home. The children march instead of play. The air feels controlled, contained. Then Maria arrives with a guitar case. In this production, that guitar becomes more than a prop. It becomes a catalyst.
Naasz’s conceptual approach frames music as a force that spreads, visually and emotionally. Through layered projections, shifting backdrops and evolving lighting design, the songs do not simply occur, they transform the environment. As the children rediscover their voices, the world around them subtly shifts.
This is not spectacle for spectacle’s sake. It is metaphor made visible.
Outside the walls of the von Trapp home, another transformation is underway — the rise of the Third Reich and the Anschluss of Austria. The story unfolds in that uneasy space just before history tips into catastrophe.
“People tried to keep their heads down,” Naasz reflects. “They thought it would blow over. But sometimes silence allows things to grow.”
This production doesn’t romanticize the era, but it doesn’t look away, either. The creative team has approached historical imagery with care, aware of both its weight and its necessity. Theatre, after all, is not meant to dictate or erase history, but it can hold a mirror to it.
The Yavapai College Performing Arts Department production is collaborative, ambitious and expansive.
A panel of faculty members conducted the casting, with the decisions shared between Naasz and music director Dr. Craig Ralston. The orchestra will be conducted by Chris Tenney, returning from sabbatical to lead the ensemble.
The scale is impressive: approximately 65 performers make up the cast. Every principal role is double-cast, meaning two complete casts will rotate through the eight scheduled performances.
This bold logistical choice reflects both the depth of local talent and the department’s commitment to opportunity. Rehearsals require discipline and coordination, but the reward is resilience. If illness strikes, the show remains strong. Audiences may choose to return and experience an entirely different interpretation of the same beloved roles.
“It takes longer in rehearsal,” Naasz admits. “But the talent showed up. Both casts are strong.”
Not strictly a student show, it is a full community collaboration, with seasoned local performers sharing the stage with emerging artists. The result feels layered, intergenerational and deeply rooted in Prescott’s performing-arts landscape.
One of the most compelling aspects of this production is its restraint. In a time when political conversations can feel loud and divisive, this staging resists preaching. Instead, it invites contemplation. The creative team is not interested in forcing parallels, but rather allowing audience members to draw their own.
The Sound of Music reminds us that moral courage often looks quiet at first. It is found in a father reclaiming his voice. In children singing together. In a family choosing integrity over safety.
The power lies not in shouting, but in singing.
This production marks part of a larger evolution within the Performing Arts Department. With increased collaboration, expanded production resources and a vision that includes both main-stage and black-box offerings each semester, the department is building momentum.
Future seasons promise broader programming and expanded opportunities, including summer intensives and additional performance platforms.
For now, all eyes turn to April. There is something profoundly human about this musical. It reminds us that even in uncertain times, art persists. Families endure. Songs are passed down.
And sometimes, when history grows heavy, the simplest act of courage is to lift your voice and sing.
The Sound of Music will play in the Jim and Linda Lee Performing Arts Center on the Yavapai College Prescott campus April 17-26. For information and tickets visit YCPAC.org.
